Monday was a rainy day in New York City. After a scorching hot weekend, I think everyone was surprised to look out the window at the start of the week & see puddles in the street. While most city-dwellers were probably wishing they could stay home, three keen clothing-obsessed fillies were already on their way to What Goes Around Comes Around on West Broadway!

Elizabeth (White Lightning), Carolina (Fashion Squad) & I met up with co-founder Seth, publicist Jackie & PR pro Alex before bundling into a car & heading to New Jersey. Yes, New Jersey! It was a short trip though, & we were at our location in less than ten minutes.

We pulled into an industrial-looking lot, raced up a set of slippery steps & found ourselves looking at a pair of enormous steel doors.

Behind these unassuming doors in industrial New Jersey, lies a secret treasure trove…

We walked through the doors, into an enormous old elevator with sliding grates. It creaked & groaned as we ascended the floors. Then, with a bump, the warehouse was revealed.

First & foremost, this is an IMMENSE space. We had no idea what we were going to see when we walked inside. I expected a large, semi-desolate warehouse with fluorescent lighting & metal racks groaning under the strain of two decades worth of collecting. How wrong I was!

Their archive is the best of the best, the cream of the crop. This is where designers come to peruse & garner inspiration for their new collections; it’s where pop stars visit to drop severe coin. So the space is organised in a way which encourages this. It’s divided into multiple sections: Brit rock, Victorian, military, “Mad Men”, Biba, punk rock, etc. To say it is divine exploration is an understatement.

Seth led us around the warehouse excitedly. He pulled coats from the rack, encouraging us to examine the details & talking about the history of his favourite pieces. He’s so passionate about what he does & it shows. That always makes such a difference!

This is the Brit rock area. Amazing band jackets, hats & other treats. Could totally see John Lennon picking his way through this little room.

The carnage! The horror! That table looked tidy before we arrived. I think that’s Carolina’s hat on the floor…

I’ve never seen so much vintage fur in one place in my life. Still doesn’t give me a good feeling!

I absolutely love all of these t-shirts!

Now, to the outfit of the day… I wanted to wear something relatively fancy, but also something that would be conducive to the inevitable dress-up party!

I settled on…

Twist scarf in black chiffon from American Apparel
Silence & Noise ruffle-front dress in magenta from Urban Outfitters, worn tucked in (I also own this in royal blue; Nubby has it in black!)
Black velvet blazer (vintage)
Vintage high-waisted wool 50s circle skirt, also from American Apparel! (I can’t believe I found this there!)
Petticoat slip skirt from American Apparel worn underneath to give the skirt volume
Skinny magenta belt from J. Crew
Black bamboo jersey stockings, also American Apparel (can you tell I went there recently?)
Doc Marten Regina boots
Balenciaga Twiggy handbag

Belt & bag close-up.

Okay, time for more vintage goodies…

“Oh, yeah, Lady Gaga wanted these but they’re not her size.” !!! These are Vivienne Westwood, & amazing. I think Naomi Campbell tripped in them on the runway. Honestly, I’m not surprised.

They weren’t quite my size either. Toe-pinchy! & talk about HIGH! Look how happy Elizabeth is!

Again, not into the coat so much but the whole place looked so good. From the light fixtures to the carpets, they really had thought about everything.

Heaven for military style obsessives.

While I tried on amazing hats, insane coats & Vivienne Westwood platform heels, I totally freaked out when I stumbled upon… the Pucci rack. THE PUCCI RACK. PUCCI. RACK. A RACK! OF PUCCI! I don’t think I had ever even seen any vintage Pucci in person before!

I ended up taking home two Pucci maxi-skirts. One’s pink, red, orange & brown (pictured below), & the other is turquoise, purple & white. They’re both made with super-heavy velour, they fit like a dream & they’re so fun! I’ll have outfit photos with them soon, no doubt!

When I went to California with Nubby & Amy, I wore bright pink every day & LOVED it. When I came back to New York City, I was struck by how much everyone loves black. People wear it like it provides them psychic armour (& maybe it does). I love to wear black too, but I have found that throwing on a big splash of colour does wonders for your mood (& the moods of people around you). I don’t want to crumble into the familiarity of wearing black every day this winter, & so I hope these skirts will help me break my habit!

PUCCI FOREVER!

In our items: Cheetah coat, Pucci sunglasses, Pucci skirt. Also, sorry about the face. I’m a rabbit in your headlights… I know, I know.

Pucci was the word of the day. (Thankfully, it’s a good one!) Carolina went home with an incredible pair of Pucci sunglasses (which she will totally wear every day until she dies, she may even be buried in them) while Elizabeth could not be wrestled away from her cheetah coat. I tried to get Elizabeth to try on this amazing psychedelic Pucci swimsuit, but no dice. Sorry, would-be perverts!

Check out What Goes Around Comes Around’s blog for more silliness & fun!

Huge love to What Goes Around Comes Around for being so very accommodating & generous! You make my world go round! Thanks to Carolina & Elizabeth for being excellent shopping partners too!

Some photos by me, some by Jahn Hall!